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WHY KILL ISAAC S
anhedrin 89b:
RABBI MOSHE B EN-CHAIM
“And it came to pass after these matters that God tried Abraham” (Gen. 22:1). The Gemara asks: “After which matters?” How does the binding of Isaac relate to the preceding events? Rabbi Yo anan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: “This means after the statement of Satan, as it is written: “And the child grew, and was weaned, and Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned” (Genesis 21:8). Satan [immediately thereafter] said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, this old man, you favored him with a child, at 100 years of age. But from the entire feast that he prepared, did he not have even one dove or one pigeon to sacrifice before You as a thanks-offering?” God said to Satan: “Did Abraham truly prepare the feast only for his son? If I say to him: “Sacrifice your son before Me” he would immediately slaughter him!” Immediately, after these matters, the verse states, “And God tried Abraham.” The Torah continues: “And He said: Take, please your son” (Genesis 22:2). Rabbi Shimon bar Abba says: “Why did God plead—rather than command—that Abraham take his son? The Gemara cites a parable of a king who confronted many wars. And he had one warrior fighting for
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him, and he overcame his enemies. Over time, there was a fierce war confronting him. The king said to his warrior: “I plead with you, stand firm for me in this war, so that others will not say there is no substance in the first victories, and you are not a true warrior.” Likewise, the Holy One, Blessed be He, also said to Abraham: “I have tried you with several ordeals, and you have withstood them all. Now, stand firm in this ordeal for Me, so that others will not say there is no substance in the first ordeals. God said to Abraham: “Please take your son, your only, whom you love, Isaac” (Gen. 22:2). Here, Satan refers to Abraham's detractors. Once the world saw Abraham had a son at 100 years old, they assumed his previous righteousness was only a means of earning a child. Now that Isaac was born, they felt Abraham would no longer be subservient to God. Therefore the rabbis scripted this allegory to offer us insight into God's purpose in commanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Here, the Rabbi's teach us that Isaac’s birth brought about a problem. God wishes all mankind to appreciate that man has the capacity to reach a great level of perfection. And since the world now projected onto Abraham their own weaknesses, and they felt his previous 9 trials were just for a son—not due to his devotion to God—Isaac’s sacrifice was necessary. Through Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, (CONT. ON PAGE 12)
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NOV. 12, 2021
